Sun Wukong

The Monkey King

Stone-born monkey with 72 transformations who guards Tripitaka and attains Buddhahood.

Sun Wukong, the Monkey King, was born from a stone on Flower-Fruit Mountain and learned the seventy-two transformations, the somersault cloud and the art of fixing his name in the registers of life. After wreaking havoc in heaven he was pinned beneath Five Elements Mountain, then freed to guard the pilgrim Tripitaka westward. His cleverness, pride and loyalty make him the most beloved rebel-hero of Chinese fiction.